Currently reading
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Everything Is Illuminated
The Poisonwood Bible
Infinite Jest
The Count of Monte Cristo
Progress:
75 %
The Cuckoo's Calling
“How easy it was to capitalize on a person’s own bent for self-destruction; how simple to nudge them into non-being, then to stand back and shrug and agree that it had been the inevitable result of a chaotic, catastrophic life.” Social commentary, slow dark humour, and perfect, expansive characterisation. Didn't give this book my full attention because I stopped reading halfway through to go travelling - kind of wish I'd saved it now. Nevertheless, will eagerly watch for sequels!
Mysterious Skin
Cinematic writing, great characterisation, quietly horrifying and viscerally uncomfortable. Reading this felt like tasting blood.
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Yeoooowch. Pretty painful to read. Most accurate description of depression. Ever. Tentacles and anchors. Cycling and shifting. Accurate accurate accurate. The only time I didn't absolutely identify with the mc was when he was rejoicing over getting to feel up girls, and considering I'm not a sixteen year old boy, that's quite a literary achievement. I particularly loved that his bp was always 120/80 - and what that says about "perfection".
Lenz
I wrote a whole essay about how Georg Buchner predicted Nietzsche's famous "look into the abyss" quote, the entire stream-of-conscious-thought modern lit movement, Inception's "how do I know if I'm awake or asleep" and modern medicine's rhetoric on schizophrenia. It's actually a bit unsettling but the short story makes up for it by being almost completely incoherent.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Laugh out loud funny, typically razor sharp satire. As always, I adore Oscar Wilde in all his snarky glory.
The Fault in Our Stars
His best book by far. Captures death and grief with more clarity than any other book I've ever read. Not very subtle - metaphors that Must Not Be Ignored and unrealistic dialogue for the sake of existentialism. Deliberately very quotable in a way that sacrifices narrative.
1
The Princess Bride
Adored some parts, but not enough to compensate the bizarre author's notes, the icky sexism, and the "William Goldman" voice that I found, honestly, repugnant.
The Casual Vacancy
Most visceral characters I've ever read in fiction. Infinitely better than Harry Potter. Someone's editors have been holding her back...
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Catcher in the Rye with feminism and gay rights. Substitute completely-intolerable white male protagonist for mildly-tolerable white male protagonist. Multiply by The Smiths and Class A drugs.
The Master and Margarita
The Devil comes to Russia. Things get fucked up. Main characters were barely human so characterisation was a moot point. Cool concept though.
American Psycho
Startlingly effective in one capacity only. Not particularly subtle. A nuclear bomb in literature. Occasionally hypnotising writing.
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Glacially slow with complete lack of purpose or drive. Occasional sharp edged characters. Worse than the first one.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Glacially slow. Occasional sharp edged characters. A surprising lack of Ah Hah! Moments for a thriller/crime novel.
The Hunger Games
Pretty fantastic book for YA readers. Reaping scene is amazingly visceral - hit the big sister in me with a mallet. Not the best writing.
